When any business owner is planning to start an online business, the first thing to decide is what eCommerce platform to use. An eCommerce platform is the look and feel of the entire organization and the source of revenue for the company. This eCommerce platform is how the organization manages and operates with its data, customers, products, etc. With so many eCommerce platforms available in the market today, it’s a daunting task to select the right one for one’s business. Some eCommerce platforms come with a ton of customizability to facilitate personalization for the users; other eCommerce platforms offer features and functionalities far more than any.
One needs to take into consideration several factors before deciding which platform to choose. Important things to consider while selecting an eCommerce platform include server reliability, uptime, ease of use, pricing, and many more. Keeping all that in mind, here is a comprehensive guide to the best eCommerce platforms in the market for you to choose for your business.
Top eCommerce Platforms – A Competitive Guide
Shopify
You cannot make a list of eCommerce platforms without putting Shopify on it. Shopify being extremely user-friendly is the go-to platform for new and upcoming businesses. No expert skills are needed to get started with Shopify. Shopify provides three variations of their products, the all-purpose base Shopify, the enterprise-oriented Shopify Plus, and the more budget-friendly Shopify Lite.
Price:
Shopify – $29/month to $299/month
Shopify Plus – Starts from $2000/month
Shopify Lite- $9/ month
Uptime:
Server Uptime Rating: 99.99%
Current Users:
Current active businesses built with the platform: Over 1 Million
Additional Features:
- Over 100 free and paid-for Shopify themes.
- Lucrative affiliation program where affiliates can earn an average of $58 for each user who signs up for a paid plan.
- Shopify experts who provide marketing tasks such as Shopify SEO services.
Magento
One of the most popular open-source eCommerce platforms in the market is Magento. With an enthusiastic community behind it, new features get added with frequent updates. With the acquisition of Magento by Adobe in 2018, the platform is the best it ever was. Magento now exists in two versions, Magento Opensource, which offers basic eCommerce capabilities that allow users to build a unique online store from the ground up, and Magento Commerce, the feature-packed premium product.
Price:
Magento Open-Source: Free
Magento Commerce:Starts at $22,000 annually (varies based on business needs)
Uptime:
Server Uptime Rating: 99.999%
Current Users:
Current active businesses built with the platform: 260,000
Additional Features:
- Over 2963 extensions that offer a diverse range of features.
- Magento provides a dynamic and flexible Catalog Management system
- Built-in SEO features such as Google SiteMap generation, auto-sort popular searches, and provide SEO-friendly URLs.
WooCommerce
If you have prior experience with WordPress or are currently using it, WooCommerce is the way to go. WooCommerce is an eCommerce platform plugin for WordPress. The best thing about WooCommerce is that it is completely free. Several extensions are available for WooCommerce that can add a myriad of additional functionality to it. This modular nature of WooCommerce through extensions makes a reasonably customizable platform for users.
Price:
WooCommerce plugin: Free
Uptime:
Server Uptime Rating (Hosted through Bluehost): 99.96%
Current Users:
Current active businesses built with the platform: 4,414,537.
Additional Features:
- Over 1,267 themes for unrestricted customization capabilities.
- Built-in-blogging capabilities.
- Customization based on location, such as currency, language, and measurement unit’s customization
Bigcommerce
Bigcommerce is one of the leading cloud-based eCommerce platforms currently in the market. The platform is well known for its low total cost of ownership and highly flexible APIs. Bigcommerce comes with out-of-the-box integration for most of the business software applications that are required along with an eCommerce platform. Bigcommerce also provides both B2B and B2C capabilities to their users. Bigcommerce has two versions, Bigcommerce Essentials, and Bigcommerce Enterprise.
Price:
Bigcommerce Essentials: $29.95/month to $299.95/month
Bigcommerce Enterprise: Custom (based on the business needs
Uptime:
Server Uptime Rating: 99.99%
Current Users:
Current active businesses built with the platform: 53,651
Additional Features:
- Out-of-the-box integration features.
- Has built-in features for hosting both B2B and B2C stores.
- Personalized site audits and tailored advice from BigCommerce experts
3dcart
For over 20years 3dcart has been one of the most powerful and secure eCommerce platforms for online businesses. 3dcart is very flexible and optimized for selling on social media, multivendor marketplaces, and other channels. It comes out of the box with online store customization features such as designing tools, shopping carts, and more.
Price:
3D Cart: $29/month to $299/month
Uptime:
Server Uptime Rating: 99.99%
Current Users:
Current active businesses built with the platform: 11,602.
Additional Features:
- Creates customer-friendly stores that allow customers to perform essential actions on the website.
- Highly scalable and can easily manage increasing traffic and sales with built-in or integrated CRM.
- Offers synchronized selling on social media, multivendor marketplaces, etc.
PrestaShop
Prestashop is another great open-source eCommerce platform. It is an efficient and innovative platform that covers all the functionalities needed to host a feature-rich online store. Being open-source, PrestaShop is free to access and download. PrestaShop has a wide range of addons and modules as well to customize and boost the functionality of the online stores.
Price:
Prestashop: Free
Uptime:
Server Uptime Rating: 99.999%
Current Users:
Current active businesses built with the platform: 327,317
Additional Features:
- Provides functionality to create content on user’s websites such as blogs and share them on social networks.
- Powerful Catalog and Site Management tools.
- Advanced localization tracking system to better adjust prices to local taxes and support regional prices and languages.
- Powerful analytics and reporting tools.
Volusion
Volusion is one of the oldest eCommerce platforms in the industry and remains popular today. Volusion is ideal for startups or small businesses that want to get started fast while having room to expand in the future. Unlike most modern platforms where you have to go through their app stores to add additional functionalities, Volusion comes packed with all the essential features in their standard dashboard.
Price:
Volusion:
$29/month to $299/month (paid monthly)$26.10/month to $269.10/month (paid annually)
VolusionPrime: Custom (based on GMV)
Uptime:
Server Uptime Rating: 99.93%
Current Users:
Current active businesses built with the platform: 30,000
Additional Features:
- Built-in social and mobile eCommerce features.
- Accepts PayPal and Google Checkouts for secure transactions.
These were our top picks for eCommerce platforms for starting an online business. All of the platforms mentioned in this list have solid server reliability with very competitive prices. Each provides to their customers, unique features and capabilities to best optimize their business. Now all you have to do is choose the platform that best suits you.
Get started with your B2B eCommerce store and gain a competitive edge in the market! Also, connect all your business applications under one single platform to automate the business process!
